I previously discussed my tips of the AP Physics 1 and 2 FRQS, but I realize I didn’t really touch on the experimental design FRQ. I will write out some tips for that beast, but I want to discuss how I prepare my students for this throughout the school year.

The experimental design FRQ is probably the most daunting to students and teachers. The first time I had my students do one in class, it was truly abysmal. How can teachers prepare students for the experimental design FRQ?

I think the number one answer to this question is by flipping the way we do labs. So many of us are used to traditional labs with instructions that tell the students exactly what to do.

Sample student response from the 2017 experimental design FRQ
Check out the amount of writing required on these FRQs! Here is the full sample from 2017.

Labs are the ultimate exercise in inquiry for science classes. Many teachers struggle with having the time for inquiry, but inquiry labs don’t have to take any longer than traditional “cookbook” labs. Let’s look at the four levels on inquiry, with an example lab in AP Physics 1. If my explanations aren’t enough, here is some more detail on the four levels of inquiry from Inquiry in Education.

Level 1: Limited

Limited tends to require the least amount of critical thinking. Students prove something using a prescribed procedure. For instance, students prove the acceleration of gravity by dropped a picket fence through a photogate for 10 trials, average them, and find a percent error. Bad? No. Does this prepare students for the experimental design FRQ? Also no.

Sample lab setup using a Vernier photogate and picket fence
Image courtesy of Vernier. How could you kick a lab like this up to the next level?

Level 2: Structured

Most of the labs I did in high school and college were structured. This is where our more traditional labs lie. The teacher provides the question and the procedure, and the students work through it. Higher order thinking may come in during the analysis portion of a structured inquiry lab, but the actual lab is fairly straight forward.

An example of this would be investigating the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration. Students are instructed to vary the force pushing a cart and a the mass of the cart, and derive Newton’s 2nd Law.

Level 3: Guided

Guided inquiry is really the sweet spot for preparing students for the experimental design FRQ. In guided inquiry, the teacher provides the problem and the students must come up with the procedure, data, and analysis to answer the problem.

Oriental Trading popper toys used for an energy lab
I bought these poppers from Oriental Trading for a guided inquiry lab on energy!

This format most closely matches the types of questions students see on the experimental design FRQ. Through doing guided inquiry labs, students become used to figuring out their own procedure. Of course, every lab can’t be guided inquiry. However, this is a great tool to use during each unit. I will share some of my own examples below.

Level 4: Open

Open inquiry takes the student generated process a bit further. Students come up with the question, in addition to the procedure. I think that open inquiry is a great end-of-year review tool, but I don’t really use open inquiry for labs during the school year.

5 guided inquiry labs you can do next school year to prepare for the experimental design FRQ

So, now that you know a little bit about the types of labs, let’s look at how you can use structured inquiry labs to prepare students for the experimental design FRQ.

  • Projectile motion
    • Where will the marble land? A marble is shot out of a marble launcher, and students must place a cup so that the marble lands in it on the first try. Students can use whatever tools needed to figure this out, but they can not launch the marble during the procedure phase. I combat “cheating” by launching the marble early by not giving them the angle the final trial will take place at until the end.
  • Coefficient of friction
    • Does the coefficient of friction depend on the mass of an object? Students are given force sensors, various masses, rulers, and are able to gather additional materials if necessary.
  • Energy conversions
    • What is the spring constant of a popper toy? Students can use any lab materials available to them to determine the spring constant. The stipulation is that they must do it using energy, not Hooke’s Law. Most students choose to use video analysis using their phone, which I why I like not giving them set materials.
  • Rotational kinetic energy
    • An object rolls down a ramp. Does its percentage of translational versus rotational kinetic energy depend on its shape? Students are given a ramp, meter stick, and various objects (hoop, sphere, cylinder). They determine how much of each object’s initial gravitational potential energy is rotational kinetic energy at the end of the ramp.
  • Pendulum
    • What factor determine the period of a pendulum? Students must test at least four factors and derive an equation for the period of a pendulum.

Final thoughts

Of course, the goal of all labs is not just to prepare students for one FRQ on the National Exam. However, giving students genuine experiences in experimental design will prepare them and push their critical thinking skills. A good lab course uses a mix of different types and styles of labs, with guided inquiry being one part.

Also, don’t think you have to reinvent the wheel to push your students. How can you kick labs you already do up a level?